Carmelite Father Romano Gambalunga, is the new Postulator leading the Cause of Beatification of Sister Lúcia.

He was born in Trento in 1970. He made his Solemn Profession as a Discalced Carmelite in 1996 and was ordained a priest in 1997.

He graduated in Spiritual Theology at the Institute of Spirituality at the Faculty of Theology Teresianum in Rome, and in Philosophy and Spirituality at the Pontificio Ateneu S. Anselmo in Rome, where he also earned a doctorate in the History of Theology.

He was appointed Postulator General of the Order of Discalced Carmelites on June 6, 2012, succeeding the previous Postulator P. Iidefonso Moriones.

In July 2013, he moved to Portugal, and took charge of the Diocesan phase of the Process, to deepen his knowledge about the development of the Cause of Beatification of Sister Lúcia and visit the places where she lived, Fátima and Coimbra.

It was concluded that the work of the Cause of this Servant of God is very large, given to her long life, her many writings and with the many issues that she was involved and related to. In his opinion, the Process is to be developed in the best possible way, since a large part of the work has been done which is necessary for the completion of this diocesan phase. He expressed the desire that soon, the Cause could reach Rome, there, to give a continuation to its development.

P. Romano also took knowledge of two cases that may be considered miracles, that will be analyzed and studied in Rome, by competent experts.

Albertina Berkenbrock was born on 11 April 1919 in São Luís, Imaruí, Santa Catarina, Brazil. She was baptized on 25 May 1919 and confirmed on 9 March 1925. She made her First Holy Communion on 16 August 1928. Albertina grew up in a devout family. She willingly helped her parents at home and on the land. At an early age she learned to pray with deep devotion and was strong in the practice of her Catholic faith. She spoke of her First Communion Day as the most beautiful day of her life and had special devotion to Our Lady and to St Aloysius Gonzaga, a model of purity and the Patron Saint of São Luís. At school Albertina was a model for her peers and a cause of admiration to adults. Her teachers especially praised her spirituality and morals, superior to children of her age. She was a diligent student who knew her Catechism and kept God's Commandments. At home, when her brothers teased and taunted her, as siblings do, she would not retaliate. With her Christian upbringing, even the childhood games she played reflected her deep religious sense. She played happily with the poorest children and shared her bread with them. At home, she was especially loving to the children of an employee of her father; while unknown to her, that man would become her future assassin. His name was Maneco Palhoça but he was also known as Indalício Cipriano Martins or as Manuel Martins da Silva. Albertina often gave food not only to his children but to him as well. Since Maneco was African and racism was still a grave social ill, the young girl's goodness was especially noteworthy. One day when Albertina was searching for a runaway bullock she came across Maneco loading beans into his cart. When she asked him if he had seen the bullock he pointed in the wrong direction to entice her to a place where he could satisfy his lust without attracting attention. Innocently, Albertina followed Maneco's directions and came to a wooded area. On hearing twigs cracking she turned, thinking it was the bullock, and found herself face to face with Maneco. She was petrified. He informed her of his intentions but she firmly refused him. Albertina fought hard for her virtue. Even when he threw her to the ground, she did her best to cover herself. Furious at having been morally defeated by the young girl, Maneco grasped her by the hair and slit her throat with a knife. Maneco tried to cover up his crime. He said he had discovered her body and accused a man called João Candinho of killing her, who protested his innocence in vain. But people became suspicious because when Maneco passed through the room where Albertina's body was laid out, witnesses said that every time he approached her body, blood would seep from the gash in her neck. Two days later, the Prefect of Imaruí sent for João Candinho. The official took a crucifix and together with Candinho and others, went to Albertina's home. He placed the crucifix on her chest, ordered João Candinho to lay his hands on the crucifix and swear that he was innocent. It is said that at that very instant the wound in her neck stopped bleeding. Maneco tried to flee but was arrested. He confessed to his crime as well as two other murders. He was tried, convicted and given a life sentence. In prison he admitted to his fellow prisoners that he murdered Albertina because she resisted his rape attempts. This testimony from his own lips is fundamental for determining this as a true martyrdom. Albertina's reaction is unequivocal, since she preferred to die rather than to submit. On the very day of Albertina's death, the young girl was popularly proclaimed a martyr because everyone who knew her could testify to her Christian upbringing, good behaviour, piety and charity. Her reputation as a martyr was confirmed when the local midwife who had examined her body stated that the attempted rape was not a success. Shortly thereafter, people began speaking of graces received through Albertina's intercession. She was buried in the cemetery at São Luís, but due to the fame of her martyrdom and the favours obtained through her intercession, her body was later placed in the Church of São Luís.

Jeanne-Germaine Castang was born on 23 May 1878 at Nojals, east of Bergerac de Périgord, France. She was the fifth of 11 children born into an impoverished but deeply religious family. Her father's relatives were landowners and her mother's, notaries. She was a pretty, resourceful child with her own strong character but who already showed an inclination to the consecrated life. Poliomyelitis, which struck at the age of 4, left her with only one sound leg and a permanent limp. This disability did not affect her piety nor deter her from assisting at home, especially after her elder sister's admission to the Order of St Joseph at Aubenas and later, after the premature death of her mother in December 1892, while caring for her eldest brother who had tuberculosis. During that period she slept on the floor beside her brother's bed and it was probably then that she herself contracted the disease. Jeanne-Germaine attended the local school run by the Sisters of St Joseph in Nojals. Here, she grew in faith and despite her young age became known for her devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. It is likely that here too, the seeds of her vocation flourished. Her father was unsuccessful with the grocery store-café he had opened in Nojals. Thus, the family was forced to move from their home to a damp, dilapidated barn. They were so poor that Jeanne-Germaine was obliged to beg for food, going from one farm to the next despite the festering sore that had developed on her paralysed foot. Unable to keep his family, her father left for Bordeaux in search of work; the family joined him later. Three of the children had died in Nojals; two others died in Bordeaux of TB and malnutrition. In 1892, Mr Castang found a job as doorkeeper at a castle in La Réole and his family went to live there. Jeanne-Germaine, however, remained in Bordeaux, where she had been taken in at the outset by the Sisters of Nazareth, with whom she stayed five years. She underwent surgery on her foot at the local paediatric hospital. With the Sisters she learned to sew and was prepared for her First Communion and Confirmation. After her brother's death in 1893, Jeanne Germaine desired to join her sister in the Order of St Joseph at Aubenas. When she was refused due to her disability, as she had been earlier by the Poor Clares, she returned to the Sisters of Nazareth. At this time, Jeanne-Germaine went for a walk with a friend who suggested she visit the Ave Maria Community of the Poor Clares at Talence, not far from Bordeaux; seeing beyond her handicap, the Mother Superior was able to discern her exceptional religious disposition. So it was that on 12 June 1896, she was admitted to the Community in Talence (today incorporated into the Community of Poor Clares at Perpignan). Her father did not wish to lose his daughter, but agreed on condition that she send him a photograph. The following 21 November, she was clothed in the habit of the Second Order of St Francis and took the name "Marie-Céline of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary". The relentless advance of the tuberculosis did not stop her from fully immersing herself in the austere lifestyle of the contemplative nuns. Her love for God, the Church and her Sisters increased and she accepted with humility the supernatural manifestations of God's love. When the Superior became aware of the deterioration of her health and called the doctor, it was too late. Sr Marie-Céline was permitted to make her final vows on her deathbed; she died of tuberculosis of the bone on 30 May 1897 when she was only 19 years old. At the beginning of the 20th century, Sr Marie-Céline's burial place at the Convent of the Poor Clares of Talence became a pilgrimage destination; since June 2006, her mortal remains rest in the Parish Church of Nojals-et-Clottes, where she worshipped as a child. The aura of holiness which had surrounded Sr Marie-Céline in her lifetime soon led to the introduction of her cause of Beatification. Pope Pius XII decreed her heroic virtues on 22 January 1957 and in December 2006, Pope Benedict authorized the promulgation of a decree concerning a miracle attributed to her intercession. This young nun who wrote: "I am determined to be a violet of humility, a rose of charity, and a lily of purity for Jesus", lives on as a model for all those who are ill or suffer from physical handicaps, poverty and marginalization. After her death, she appeared to many via fragrances, which earned her the nickname: "Saint of the Perfumes". Taken from The Vatican Website

VATICAN CITY - Yesterday, 27 March 2013, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During the course of the audience the pontiff authorized the dicastery to promulgate the decrees concerning: - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God REGINA CHRISTINE WILHELMINE BONZEL (in religion: MARIA THERESIA), founder of the Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration; born on 17 September 1830 in Olpe, Arnsberg (Germany) and died there on 06 February 1905; declared venerable on 27 March 2010; - the martyrdom of the Servants of God MANUEL BASULTO JIMÉNEZ, bishop of Jaén, and 5 COMPANIONS, from the clergy and lay faithful of the diocese of Jaén; killed in odium fidei between 1936 and 1937 in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War; - the martyrdom of the Servants of God JOSÉ MAXIMO MORO BRIZ and 4 COMPANIONS, from the clergy and lay faithful of the diocese of Ávila; killed in odium fidei in 1936 in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War; - the martyrdom of the Servant of God vLADIMIR GHIKA, priest of the archdiocese of Bucharest; born on 13 May 1920 in 25 December 1873 in Istanbul (Turkey) and killed in odium fidei on 16 May 1954 in Bucharest (Croatia); - the martyrdom of the Servants of God JOAQUÍN JOVANÍ MARÍN and 14 COMPANIONS, priests from the Society of the Diocesan Laborer Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ; killed in odium fidei between 1936 and 1938 in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War; - the martyrdom of the Servants of God MIGUEL FRANCISCO GONZÁLEZ-DÍEZ GONZÁLEZ-NÚÑEZ (in religion: ANDRÉSFROM PALAZUELO)and 31 COMPANIONS, professed priests and religious of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins; killed in odium fidei between 1936 and 1937 in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War; - the martyrdom of the Servant of God GIUSEPPE GIROTTI, professed priest of Order of Preachers (Dominicans); born on 19 July 1905 in Alba, Cuneo (Italy) and killed in odium fidei on 01 April 1945 in Dachau, Oberbayern (Germany); - the martyrdom of the Servant of God SÁNDOR ISTVÁN, professed religious of the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians of Don Bosco); born on 13 May 1920 in 26 October 1914 in Szolnok, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok (Hungary) and killed in odium fidei on 08 June 1953 in Budapest (Hungary); - the martyrdom of the Servant of God ROLANDO RIVI, seminarian of the diocese of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla ; born on 07 January 1931 in San Valentino Castellarano, Reggio Emilia (Italy) and killed in odium fidei on 13 April 1945 in Piani di Monchio, Modena (Italy);- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ELADIO MOZAS SANTAMERA, priest of the archdiocese of Madrid and founder of the Josephite Sisters of the Holy Trinity; born on 18 February 1837 in Miedes de Atienza, Guadalajara (Spain) and died on 18 March in Plasencia, Cáceres (Spain);- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God MANUEL APARICI NAVARRO, priest of the archdiocese of Marid; born on 11 December 1902 in Madrid (Spain) in Madrid (Spain) and died there on 28 August 1964; - the heroic virtues of the Servant of God MOISÉS LIRA SERAFIN, professed priest of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit; and founder of , Missionaries of Charity of Mary Immaculate; born on 16 September 1893 in Tlatempa, Zacatlán, Puebla (Mexico) and died on 25 June 1950 in Mexico City (Mexico); - the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ANGELO FONTANAROSA (in religion, GENEROSO OF THE CRUCIFIED), professed priest of the Congregation of the Passion (Passionists); born on 06 November 1881 in Vetralla, Viterbo (Italy) and died on 09 January 1966 in Mascalucia, Catania (Italy); - the heroic virtues of the Servant of God OLINTO MARELLA, priest of the archdiocese of Bologna; born on 14 June 1882 in Pallestrina, Venice (Italy) and died on 06 September 1969 in San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna (Italy); - the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ANTONI KOWALCZYK, professed religious of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate; born on 16 September 1893 in Dzierżanów, Krotoszyn (Poland) and died on 10 July 1947 in Saint-Albert, Alberta (Canada); and,- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God SÍLVIA CARDOSO FERREIRO DA SILVA, lay faith of the diocese of Porto; born on 26 July 1882 in Paços de Ferreira, Porto (Portugal) and died 02 November 1950 in Paços de Ferreira, Porto (Portugal).

Aside from the Memorial of St. John Neumann, we also celebrate today the Memorial of Bl. Marcelina Darowska. Nee Kotowicz, was born on 16 January 1827 in Szulaki, Ukraine, to a land-owning Polish family. As a child she showed a particular love of prayer and a desire to dedicate herself to God. Her father could not understand this and, before he died, he obtained the promise from her that she would marry and raise a family. In 1849 she married Karol Darowski, but she decided to sanctify her marriage "by living only in God and for God". Less than three happy years had passed when Karol died, leaving her with two children. Her son died a year later and she confessed: "The way of the world was not chosen for me by God's will; the way of the convent was, indeed, my destiny". In 1854 she traveled to Rome for reasons of health and met Fr Hieronim Kajsiewicz, a Resurrectionist who became her spiritual director. Through him she met Josephine Karska, who was thinking of founding a religious community dedicated to the overall formation of women. Their mutual work - the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary united Marcelina and Josephine in sincere friendship. For years, however, Josephine was sick with typhus and died in 1860. Marcelina thus became the Superior of the new religious family, which numbered no more than four. In 1863 she moved the community to her homeland, and at Jazlowiec, in the Archdiocese of Lviv, she opened her first school for girls, which soon became an important spiritual and cultural centre. Marcelina undertook the work of educating women in the conviction that on it depends the rebirth of the family, which is the foundation of a morally healthy society. Among her principles for the formation of her sisters and students, she stressed the following: the primacy of God over everything, truth, mutual trust and unselfishness. She also offered effective help to the poor, desiring that tuition-free elementary schools be established at every convent. During her 50 years of Superior of the congregation, she opened seven convents with formation institutes and schools for children. In 1904, the Polish writer Henry Sienkiewicz wrote of her: "Praise for your wise work and honour to your merit and goodness". Marcelina answered, saying: "I don't look at the results of our work. They don't belong to us. If they exist, they belong to God for the good of our beloved country, which is torn apart". She died on 5 January 1911.

On 6 October 1996 Marcelina Darowska was proclaimed Blessed by the Pope John Paul II in Rome. During the Mass he said:

"To extend the kingdom of God in human souls and bring it into the world" - this was the programme for her apostolic activity, born in the silence of a heart immersed in prayer. She wanted to do everything so that truth love and goodness would triumph in human life and transform the face of her beloved nation. Together with her sisters, she generously laboured in the exhausting task of building the kingdom of Christ, paying particular attention to the religious formation of the young generation, especially girls, to the growth of catechesis and to educational work. She assigned a particular role in life to the Christian woman as "wife, mother and citizen of her country". With great zeal she fostered the growth of the kingdom of God in the family, since only a healthy and holy family, "based on God", as she said, can be the foundation of a new society. The new blessed is an example of an apostolic faith that creates new ways for the Church to be present in the world and forms a more just and human society which "abides and bears fruit" in Christ. "Pope John Paul II, from the proclamation of the beatification of Blessed Marcelina Darowska

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VATICAN CITY - Today, 20 December 2012, Pope Benedict XVI received in a private audience Angelo Cardinal Amato, sdb, prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of the Saints. During the audience, the Holy Father authorized the Congregation of the Causes of Saints to promulgate the following twenty-four decrees regarding:

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of Blesseds Antonio Primaldo and Companions, laypersons of the diocese of Otranto, killed in odium fidei on 13 August 1480 in Otranto (Italy); cult confirmed on 14 December 1771; martyrdom recognized on 06 July 2007; - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed MarÍa Laura DE JESÚS Montoya Upegui (in religion, Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena), founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and Saint Catherine of Siena; born on 26 May 1874 in Jericó, Antioquía (Colombia) and died on 21 October 1949 in Belencito, Medellín, Antioquía (Colombia); beatified on 25 April 2004; - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Anastasia Guadalupe García Zavala (in religion, María Guadalupe), cofounder of the Handmaids of Saint Margaret Mary and of the Poor; born on 27 April 1878 in Zapopan, Jalisco (Mexico) and died on 24 June 1963 in Guadalajara, Jalisco (Mexico); beatified on 25 April 2004; - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God ANTONIO FRANCO, ordinary of the territorial prelature of Santa Lucia del Mela; born on 26 September 1585 in Naples (Italy) and died on 02 September 1626 in Santa Lucia del Mela, Messina (Italy); declared venerable on 14 January 2011; - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, priest of the diocese of Córdoba; born on 16 March 1840 in Santa Rosa de Río Primero, Córdoba (Argentina) and died on 26 January 1914 in Villa del Tránsito, Córdoba (Argentina); declared venerable on 19 April 2004; - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God CRISTÓBAL LÓPEZ DE VALLADOLID OREA (in religion: CRISTÓBAL OF SAINT CATHERINE), professed priest, Third Order Regular of Saint Francis and founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Hospitallers of Jesus the Nazarene; born on 25 July 1638 in Mérida, Badajoz (Spain) and 21 July 1690 in Córdoba (Spain); declared venerable on 28 June 2012; - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God ZOFIA CZESKA-MACIEJOWSKA, founder the Congregation of the Virgins of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; born in 1584 in Budziszowice, Kazimierski (Poland) and died in Kraków (Poland) on 01 April 1650; declared venerable on 27 June 2011; - a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God MAŁGORZATA SZEWCZYK (in religion: ŁUCJA), founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Sorrowful Mother of God ‒ Seraphic Sisters; born ca. 1828 in Shepetivka (a.k.a. Szepetówka), Khmelnytskyi (Ukraine) and died on 05 June 1905 in Nieszawa, Aleksandrów (Poland); declared venerable on 19 December 2011; - the martyrdom of the Servant of God Miroslav Bulešić, priest of the diocese of Poreč i Pula; born on 13 May 1920 in Čabrunići, Svetvinčenat, Istarska (Croatia) and killed in odium fidei on 24 August 1947 in Lanišće, Istarska (Croatia); - the martyrdom of the Servants of God JOSÉ XAVIER GOROSTERRATZU JAUNARENA and 5 COMPANIONS, professed priests and religious of the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists); killed in odium fidei between 1936 and 1938 in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War; - the martyrdom of the Servants of God Ricardo Gil Barcelón, professed priest of the Congregation of the Sons of Divine Providence, born on 27 October 1873 in Manzanera, Teruel (Spain), and Antonio Arrué Peiró, layperson of the archdiocese of Valencia and postulant of the Congregation of the Sons of Divine Providence, born on 04 April 1908 in Calatayud, Zaragoza (Spain), both killed in odium fidei on 03 August 1936 in El Saler, Valencia (Spain); - the martyrdom of the Servant of God MANUEL Sanz Domínguez (in religion, Manuel of the Holy Family), professed priest of the Order of Saint Jerome, restorer; born on 31 December 1887 in Sotodosos, Guadalajara (Spain) and killed in odium fidei between 06 and 08 November 1936 in Paracuellos de Jarama, Madrid (Spain); - the martyrdom of the Servants of God Josefa Pilar García Solanas (in religion, María Montserrat) and 8 COMPANIONS, professed religious of the Order of Minim Nuns, along with LUCRECIA GARCÍA SOLANAS, layperson of the archdiocese of Barcelona, killed in odium fidei on 23 July 1936 at the Sant Genís dels Agudells highway, Horta, Barcelona (Spain); - the martyrdom of the Servants of God MELCHORA ADORACIÓN CORTÉS BUENO and 14 COMPANIONS , from the Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul; killed in odium fidei between 1936 and 1937 in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God PaUL VI (Giovanni Battista Montini), supreme pontiff; born on 26 September 1897 in Concesio, Brescia (Italy) and died on 06 August 1978 in Castelgandolfo, Rome (Italy) ;- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Francesco Saverio Petagna, bishop of Castellamare di Stabia, founder of the Congregation of the Religious Sisters of the Sacred Hearts; born on 13 December 1812 in Naples (Italy) and died on 18 December 1878 in Castellamare di Stabia, Naples (Italy);- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God JUAN JOSÉ JAIME Bonal Cortada, priest of the archdiocese of Zaragoza, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Anne; born on 24 August 1769 in Terrades, Girona (Spain) and died on 19 August 1829 in Zaragoza (Spain);- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God LOUIS-MARIE BAUDOUIN, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sons of Mary Immaculate and of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of Jesus of Chavagnes; born on 02 August 1765 in Montaigu, Vendée (France) and died on 12 February 1835 in Chavagnes, Vendée (France);- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Giovannina Franchi, founder of the Nursing Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows; born on 24 June 1807 in Como (Italy) and died there on 23 February 1872;- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Luisa Aveledo y AVELEDO (in religion, Marcelina of Saint Joseph), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor of Saint Peter Claver; born on 18 June 1874 in Caracas (Venezuela) and died on 16 November 1959 in Barranquilla, Atlantico (Colombia); - the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Claudia Russo, founder of the Congregation of the Poor Daughters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; born on 18 November 1889 in Naples (Italy), and died there on 11 March 1964;- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Rosa Elena Cornejo PAZMIÑO (in religion, MarÍa Francisca of the WounDs), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculata; born on 11 December 1874 in Quito (Ecuador) and died there on 24 October 1964;- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God KLARA SZCZĘSNA (in religion LUDWIKA), cofounder of the Congregation of the Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; born on 18 July 1863 in Cieszki, Lubowidz, Żuromin (Poland) and died on 07 February 1916 in Kraków (Poland); and,- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Joaquina María Mercedes Barceló Pagés (in religion, Consuelo), cofounder of the Congregation of the Augustinian Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation; born on 24 July 1857 in Sarrià, Barcelona (Spain) and died on 04 August 1940 in Manila (Philippines).

Fr. James Alberione, Founder of the Pauline Family, was one of the most creative apostles of the 20th century. He was born in San Lorenzo di Fossano (Cuneo), Italy, on 4 April 1884 and baptized the following day. The profoundly Christian and hard-working Alberione family, made up of Michael and Teresa Allocco and their six children, were farmers.Little James, the fourth child of the family, felt the call of God early in life. When questioned by his first-grade teacher as to what he wanted to be when he grew up, he replied, “I want to be a priest!”. His childhood years were directed to this goal.When the Alberione family moved to Cherasco, in the Alba diocese, the parish priest of St. Martin's Church, Fr. Montersino, helped young James to reflect on God's call and respond to it. At the age of 16, James entered the seminary of Alba and immediately met Canon Francesco Chiesa, who would be his father, guide, friend and advisor over the next 46 years.At the end of the Holy Year of 1900, James, who had read and reflected deeply on Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Tametsi Futura, underwent an experience that would give direction to the rest of his life. On the night of 31 December 1900, the night that divided the 19th and 20th centuries, he prayed for four hours before the Blessed Sacrament and contemplated the future in the light of God. A “particular light” seemed to come from the Host and roused in him a sense of obligation “to do something for the Lord and for the people of the new century”: he felt “obliged to serve the Church” with the new instruments provided by human ingenuity.James continued his intensive study of philosophy and theology and on 29 June 1907 he was ordained a priest. His time as assistant pastor in Narzole (Cuneo) was brief but decisive from the perspective of pastoral experience. In Narzole he met little Giuseppe Giaccardo, who would be to him as Timothy was to the Apostle Paul. It was also in Narzole that Fr. Alberione came to a clearer understanding of what women could do in the apostolate.Fr. Alberione served as spiritual director to both the major and minor seminarians in the Seminary of Alba, where he also taught various subjects. He helped out with preaching, catechesis and giving conferences in the various parishes of the diocese. In addition to this, he devoted much time to studying the civil-ecclesial situation and the newly-emerging needs of society.He came to understand that the Lord was guiding him toward a new mission: to preach the Gospel to all peoples, in the spirit of the Apostle Paul, using the modern instruments of communication. This is confirmed by two books he wrote: Notes on Pastoral Theology (1912) and Woman Associated to Priestly Zeal (1911-1915).For the sake of charism and continuity, such a mission needed to be carried out by consecrated persons because “the works of God are performed by men and women of God.” Thus, on 20 August 1914, while Pope Pius X lay dying in Rome, Fr. Alberione initiated the Pauline Family in Alba by founding the Pious Society of St. Paul. The Institute was born in utter poverty, according to the divine pedagogy: “always begin from Bethlehem.”The human family—to which Fr. Alberione turned for inspiration—is made up of brothers and sisters. The first woman to follow Fr. Alberione was 21-year-old Teresa Merlo from Castagnito (Cuneo). With her help, Fr. Alberione began a second Congregation in 1915: the Daughters of St. Paul. Slowly the “Family” grew, both masculine and feminine vocations increased, and the apostolate began to take shape.In December 1918, his first “daughters” left for Susa, where the work they initiated forms part of the courageous story of faith and enterprise that gave rise to what came to be called the “Pauline” lifestyle. But progress came to an abrupt halt in 1923 when Fr. Alberione fell gravely ill and the doctors despaired of his recovery. However the Founder was able to miraculously resume his journey, later saying, “St. Paul healed me.” During that period, the words Fr. Alberione had received in a dream or revelation from the Divine Master were first inscribed on the walls of the Family's chapels: “Do not be afraid. I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Be sorry for sin.”The following year, a second feminine Congregation came into being: the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, whose members would carry out the Eucharistic, priestly and liturgical apostolate. To guide this Institute, Fr. Alberione chose the young Sr. M. Scholastica Rivata, who died at the age of 90 in a state of holiness.On the apostolic level, Fr. Alberione promoted the printing of popular editions of the Bible and used the swiftest instrument of the time—periodicals—to help the message of Christ reach even those furthest away. He had already begun the magazine Vita Pastorale (The Pastoral Life) in 1912 for parish priests. In 1931 he launched Famiglia Cristiana, (Christian Home) a weekly magazine to nourish the Christian life of families. Other periodicals followed: (Madre di Dio) Mother of God (1933), “to reveal the beauty and greatness of Mary to people”; Pastor Bonus (Good Shepherd) (1937), a monthly magazine in Latin; Via, Verità e Vita (Way, Truth, Life) (1952), a monthly dedicated to the teaching of Christian doctrine; (Vita in Cristo nella Chiesa) Life in Christ and in the Church (1952), to help people “get to know the treasures of the Liturgy, disseminate the things that serve it, and live it according to the mind of the Church.” Turning his attention to young people, Fr. Alberione began the weekly children's magazine, Il Giornalino (The Little Newspaper).The Founder also built the magnificent Church of St. Paul in Alba, followed by two Churches to the Divine Master (in Alba and Rome) and the Sanctuary of the Queen of Apostles (Rome). Above all, he strove to reach beyond local and national borders. In 1926, he established a branch house in Rome, followed over the years by many foundations in Italy and abroad.Meanwhile, Fr. Alberione's spiritual “edifice” was growing. He inculcated in his followers a spirit of dedication by means of deeply apostolic devotions: to Jesus Master and Shepherd “Way, Truth and Life,” to Mary Mother, Teacher and Queen of Apostles, and to St. Paul the Apostle. In fact, it was this reference to the Apostle that gave his new institutes their identity as the “Pauline Family.” The goal that Fr. Alberione wanted his sons and daughters to pursue above all was complete conformation to Christ: to embrace the whole Christ Way, Truth and Life with one's entire being: mind, will, heart and physical energies. This orientation was codified in his small book, Donec Formetur Christus in Vobis (That Christ Be Formed in You) (1932).In October 1938, Fr. Alberione founded a third feminine Congregation: the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd or “Pastorelle Sisters,” to assist parish priests in their work.During the enforced “break” of World War II (1940-1945), Fr. Alberione did not suspend his spiritual itinerary but continued to embrace the light of God more and more, in a climate of adoration and contemplation. Witness to this can be found in the Founder's spiritual notebooks, in which he jotted down his inspirations and the means he adopted to correspond to the plan of God. This spiritual milieu nurtured the meditations he guided every morning for his sons and daughters, as well as his directives for the apostolate and the numerous retreats and courses of spiritual exercises he preached (the conferences of which were collected together into various volumes). Fr. Alberione's primary focus remained unswerving: to help everyone understand that “the first concern of the Pauline Family should be holiness of life; the second, holiness of doctrine.” It is in this light that he forged ahead with his Project for an Encyclopedia on Jesus Master (1959).In 1954, to celebrate the 40 anniversary of foundation of the Pauline Family, Fr. Alberione for the first time allowed something about himself to be written down (the material appears in the book Mi protendo in avanti - “I Strain Ahead”), and he also complied with the request to jot down some thoughts concerning the beginnings of his foundations. Thus came into being the small book, Abundantes divitiae gratiae suae, “a charismatic history of the Pauline Family.” This Family was completed between 1957-1960 with the foundation of a fourth feminine Congregation, the Queen of Apostles Institute for vocations (Apostoline Sisters), and several secular institutes for the consecrated life: St. Gabriel the Archangel, Our Lady of the Annunciation, Jesus Priest, and the Holy Family. Ten institutes (including the Pauline Cooperators), united by the same ideal of holiness and apostolate: to bring Jesus Christ Way, Truth and Life to the world through the instruments of social communication.From 1962-1965, Fr. Alberione was a silent but attentive protagonist in Vatican Council II, attending its sessions daily. But at the same time troubles and sufferings were not lacking: the premature deaths of his first collaborators, Timothy Giaccardo and Thecla Merlo; worry for the Pauline communities abroad that were going through difficulties and, on the personal level, an excruciatingly painful condition of scoliosis that tormented him day and night.Fr. Alberione lived to the age of 87. Having completed the work God had entrusted to him, he left this earth on 26 November 1971 to take his place in the house of the Father. In his last hours, he was comforted by the visit and blessing of Pope Paul VI, who had never hidden his admiration and veneration for the Founder. In fact, in an audience with the Pauline Family on 28 June 1969, the Pope spoke these moving words about Fr. Alberione, who was then 85 years old:“There he is: humble, silent, tireless, always vigilant, recollected in his thoughts, which run from prayer to action; always intent on scrutinizing the ‘signs of the times,' that is, the most creative ways to reach souls. Our Fr. Alberione has given the Church new instruments with which to express herself, new means to give vigor and breadth to her apostolate, new capacities and a new awareness of the validity and possibilities of his mission in the modern world with modern means. Dear Fr. Alberione, allow the Pope to rejoice in your long, faithful and tireless work and in the fruits it has produced for the glory of God and the good of the Church.”On 25 June 1996, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the future Blessed.

from "The Knight of the Immaculata Magazine (January - February 1990)" Not many of us may be interested in anything that might limit our well-being and comfortable life, much less would care to thinks of martyrdom. Yet martyrdom is an everyday fact in about half the world under communism. “The good will be martyred…” When Our Lady mad this prediction back in 1917 on a condition- “If Her requests were not heard” – there was some religious foretaste of what is to come. Our Lady’s requests, evidently, were not heard, for again according to Our Lady’s prediction-World War II came and in its wake Communist “liberation of the masses.” Following the war, Communist persecution continued unabated throughout the world-it rather increased to such an extent that Bishop Sheen could say: “The Church probably has had more martyrs in the Last 50 years of communist persecution than in the first three centuries of Roman persecutions.” We might add that it is quite probable that we have not yet seen the height of the modern persecution of the church. We don’t know what might be in store for us, but it is easy to surmise that whatever it is will have to be severe in order to smash our “stubborn” love of freedom. Back in 1946 Sister Lucia, the surviving seer of Fatima, made a clear statement to William Thomas Walsh to effect that every country without exception would be overcome by Communism; If Our Lady’s requests at Fatima continued to be ignored. Since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, over 130 Million people have died at the hands of Communism in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tibet, Cuba, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Africa, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland etc; in 72 years of the most brutal mass killing in history. And now Cuba’s Communist-trained agents are infiltrating the whole Latin America in order eventually to ‘free the poor from capitalistic oppression’ as Castro did in Cuba. In view of the alarming threat of world domination by the Reds, which any thinking, free man cannot afford to ignore, the all-important question is: Are we doing something really effective to stem the Red tide? – Are we sufficiently heeding Our Lady’s requests? Indeed, especially since John XXIII and the Vatican Council which he activated, a new spirit of hope has taken hold of many in the Church and outside the Church. Yet this hope can turn into frustration unless each one of us feels oblige to actually implement Pope John, remember, reiterated the Gospel call to penance through his encyclical on penance, Paenitentiam Agere, particularly in view of making the Vatican Council really effective and fruitful. Our Lady’s requests-our heavenly Mother’s modern reminder and plea to her Children perfectly coincide with Gospel message and the Church’s teaching. Now if we judge from the successes of Communism and from the advance of materialism and immorality it doesn’t seem we are as yet heeding Our Lady of Fatima’s requests. Atheism and “disaffiliation” from God is gaining greater acceptance. With less and less thought of God morals decline – a harbinger of national decay. Immodesty in dress even among Christian women is gaining acceptance. Motion picture and TV are continuing downgrade on their immoral way. Major crime, especially among young, is also on the increase. The sense of sin and moral guilt is being excused as an emotional disturbance. And popular sympathy is influencing justice, as in the case of the young Belgian mother who, after murdering her deformed child, was vindicated in a court of justice amid cheers of spectators. While justice and the natural law are being relegated to the trash heap in Europe in such a dramatic and publicized way, in America the highest court in the land is helping to make the mere mention of God in educational, social and political dealings as something improper and unpopular. In view of these facts would anyone be so optimistic as to say that Our Lady’s requests are being heard? And if they are not being heard then the frightening predictions of Fatima are still threatening – “the good will be martyred and various nations will be annihilated.” How prepared and ready are we for martyrdom? We may be forced to undergo a “wet,” bloody martyrdom or a bloodless, “dry” one of long-lasting, tortous oppression.* We will be ill-disposed to accept one or the other due to our soft and comfortable ways. If the simple and unequivocal requests of Our Lady of Fatima** are too much for us, how would our faith be able to withstand the isolation for years, as is common in countries behind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains. Actually, all Our Lady is asking for is essentially the return to true Catholic living. Catholic living imposes crosses and privations upon us, but sometimes we make the mistake of letting this sadden us and we renege on our convictions. The reason for this is because we fail to evaluate things properly. Crosses and privations are Christ’s special invitation to us to share in his special friendship. He asks u to take up our cross and follow him. He wants us to believe him as he assures us that our crosses will be turned into crowns. Our Short-lived sorrows will be turned into everlasting joys. At Fatima our Mother pleads with us to listen to Her Son. But perhaps we can’t take that type of talk from our Mother; the harsh and even diabolical treatment of a Communist occupation may be what we really need. In any event, She is ever ready to help us whether we voluntarily do penance according to her Son’s Gospel wishes or we are forced to do penance “the hard way” and become martyrs through the actual Communist oppression. She is the Queen of Martyrs and the Cause of our Joy, and She has assured us “in the end He Immaculate Heart will triumph.”* Martyrdom – “wet” and “dry.” Bishop Sheen who uses these terms considers wet martyrdom a bloody, properly-so-called martyrdom; the dry martyrdom is one suffered by those oppressed, particularly in our day, under communism. In the latter victims suffer great mental tortures, degradations and other abuses – a lot often more trying than a bloody martyrdom.** Requests of Our Lady of Fatima: 1. Prayer: "Say the Rosary every day, to obtain peace for the world. Add after each decade the following prayer: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy." 2. Sacrifice: Our Lord appeared to Lucy in 1943. He complained bitterly and sorrowfully that there are few souls fulfilling Our Lady’s request saying: “The sacrifice required of every person is fulfilment of his duties in life and the observance of My Laws! This is the penance I now seek and require!” 3. Consecration and reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: "I promise to help at the hour of death with graces needed for salvation, whoever: on the 1st Saturday of 5 consecutive months, shall confess and receive Holy Communion; recite 5 decades of the Rosary; and keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to my Immaculate Heart." 4. Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Pope and all the Bishops of the World. Our Lady said: “God is going to punish the world by means of war, famine and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If people attend to my requests, Russia will be converted and the world will have peace. If not Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, fomenting wars and persecutions of the Church…”

Born to a family of shepherds. As a child she was described as obstinate, critical, protesting, and rebellious - but loyal, and obedient; she would say no to a request - but act on it at once. At 18 she became gentler, her temper abated, she became involved in prayer and charity, and joined "Azione Cattolic," a Catholic youth movement. At 21 she entered the Trappestine monastery of Grottaferrata. When she was accepted, her attitude finally became "Now do what You will."

When the community's leader explained a request for prayer and offering for the great cause of Christian Unity, Maria Gabriella felt compelled to offer her young life to the cause. Though she'd never been sick before, she suddenly developed tuberculosis. In a mere 15 months spent in prayer for Unity, it took her to her death.

_Eusebia Palomino Yenes was born on 15 December 1899 in Cantalpino, Spain, one of four children to Agustin Palomino and Juana Yenes. Her father worked as a seasonal farmhand, and during winter months when there was no work, he was forced to travel to nearby villages to beg for food, with the little Eusebia at his side. Overjoyed to be in her father's company, she was too young to understand his humiliation in asking for "a loaf of bread, for the love of God". When Eusebia was 8 years old, she made her first "encounter" with Jesus in the Eucharist and felt called to belong forever and completely to him. A short time later, she was forced to leave school and work to help the family.Although she was young, she showed unusual maturity in caring for other young children, and when she was 12 she went to Salamanca with her older sister and worked as a nanny. Her love for God continued to grow and was expressed so well through the care she gave to the children.